Driving mechanism for cycles.



-No. 64l,926. Patented Ian. 23, 1900. M. E. BOLLINGER.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR CYCLES.

(Applicgtion filed. Mar. 80, 1899.)

(No Model.)

EHHryzsszs 114: grams PETERS w. nuowuuma, vusumcron. n.

T TES MARTIN E. BOLLINGER, or SELLS STATION, PENNSYLVANIA.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR CYCLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters I'atent No. 641,926, dated January23, 1900. Application filed March 30, 1899. Serial No. 711,091. (Nomodel.)

T at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARTIN E. BOLLINGEB, 'acitizen of the United States,residing at Sells Station, in the county of Adams and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Driving Mechanism forCycles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cycles, and more especially to driving orpropelling mechanism therefor; and theobject of the invention is toprovide an efficient and compact organization of parts which are adaptedto cooperate for the purpose of increasing the power applied to propelthe cycle when such increase is desired, or one part of the drivingmechanism can be utilized to hold the cycle back when descending hills,thereby obviating the use of a brake.

With these ends in view my invention consists in the novel combinationof elements and in the construction and arrangement of parts, which willbe hereinafter fully described and claimed.

To enable others to understand the invention, I have illustrated thepreferred embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, and in Which Figure 1 is a perspective viewof a bicycle provided with driving mechanism constructed in accordancewith my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the steering appliancesand a portion of the auxiliary driving mechanism. Fig. 3 is a frontelevation of a portion of the auxiliary driving mechanism.

Like characters denote like and corresponding parts in'each of theseveral figures of the drawings.

I have illustrated my improvements as applied to a bicycle which is ofthe familiar diamond shape, and the framework of which is denoted by 1and the front and rear wheels by 2 and 3, respectively. The crank axleor shaft is designated by 5 and is mounted in the usual manner in ahanger at the meetingpoint of the seat-tube, bottom bar, and tierods andis provided atits opposite ends with 'cranks 6, provided with pedals 7,and the lastnamed parts may be of any suitable construction.

The axle 5 is provided with the sprocketwheel 8, which is connected bythe sprocketchain 9 with a similar sprocketwheel on the axle of the rearor driven wheel, and it will be apparent that the rotation of the crankswill cause the propulsion of the cycle in the usual manner.

The front tube 10 of the framework receives the steering-head 12,provided at its upper end with the handle 13 and connected at its lowerend'to the front fork 14.

The description thus far made pertains to a bicycle of ordinaryconstruction and to which the supplemental driving mechanism hereinafterdescribed is applied; but it will be apparent that the latter can beused in connection with other kinds of foot-propelled vehicles.

The steering-head is provided at a point slightly above the place atwhich the handle 13 is secured thereto with a longitudinalbearing-sleeve 15, which receives the shaft 16, having at its oppositeends the cranks 17 which are provided at their extremities with grips 18of suitable kind, adapted to be grasped by the hands of a rider in thesaddle of the machine, so that he can rotate said shaft 16, andconsequently, through intermediate mechanism, transmit the power to therear or driven wheel of the machine. The handle 13 is substantially ofdouble- U shape, and it extends forward from its point of attachment tothe steering-head, and the outer branches of the two portions of saidhandle extend rearward and are provided with grips, and by reason of theshape of the handle the cranks 17 as they move forward are adapted topass between the branches of the two Us Without hindrance.

When the auxiliary mechanism is not in use, the handle 13 will beemployed to guide the cycle; but when said mechanism is in operation thecrank-shaft 16 will serve as a means for steering the machine, as itwill be remembered that it is connected with the steering-head.Therefore the crank-shaft, with its cranks, is in the nature of acombined steering and powentransmitting member, as it performs both ofthese functions.

The crank-shaft at one end is provided with a sprocket-wheel 19,connected by the sprocketchain 20 with the sprocket-wheel 21, which iscarried by the shaft 22.

The shaft 22 consists of two sections, de-

noted, respectively, by 23 and 24, connected by a universal joint 25,that illustrated being of the ball-and-socket type, and the section 23of the shaft is movable longitudinally, while the section flat is fixedand is supported by a bearing upon the steering-head tube, near thelower end thereof. The movable section of the shaft carries the sprocket-wheel 21 and is supported by the vertical arm of a substantiallyLshaped bracket 26, secured to the fork-crown, said arm having anopening in which the shaft-section slides longitudinally as thesteering-head turns. The hori zontal portion of the bracket 26 issecured to the fork 14, near the upper end thereof. The fixed section 24of the two-part shaft carries at its outer end the bevel-gear 27,meshing with a cooperating bevel-gear 28, secured to the end of thelongitudinal shaft 29, and which shaftis provided with a bevel-gear 30at its opposite end, meshing with a bevel-gear 31, fixed to the end ofthe crank-axle 5 opposite to that carrying the primary or drivingsprocketwheel 8. The longitudinal shaft 29 is supported near itsextremities by bearing-sleeves 32, secured to the framework of themachine near the fork and crank-axle, respectively.

From the foregoing description it will be evident that both drivingmechanisms can be operated in unison or either can be employedseparately, or when one of them is in use the other can be utilized tohold back the cycle in descending hills, and it will be apparent that inview of the universal joint 25 between the two sections of the shaft 22the front wheel can be turned to anyextent without afiecting the powergenerated by the auxiliary driving mechanism.

The cycle includes two independent steering devices, and the handle 13,which constitutes one of them, will be employed when the auxiliarydriving mechanism is out of action, in which case the several elementsof the latter operate without producing any effect; but when the riderwishes to utilize said auxiliary driving mechanism the crank-shaft 10will serve as a means for turning the steeringhead.

While I have shown certain kinds of mechanical devices for transmittingthe motion and power from the primary driving members of the twoindependent propelling mechanisms, it is apparent that other means maybe provided for this purpose, although the mechanism illustrated isthoroughly efficient and simple.

Changes in the form, proportion, size, and the minor details ofconstruction within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantagesof this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is- 1. In a drivingmechanism for cycles, the combination with a bicycle-frame and with awheel to be driven, of a steering-stem movable in the frame, a shaftvsecured to said pendent of the crank-shaft and secured to aforwardly-extending bracket upon the steering-stem, said handles lyingat either side of the power-transmitting mechanism, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a driving mechanism for cycles, the

combination with abicycle-frame and a wheelto be driven, of asteering-stem movable in the frame, a shaft secured to said steering.

stem and having cranks, a second shaft'in two sections one of which hasa bearing fixedto the frame and the other of which has a hearing movablewith the steering-stein,which sections are connected by a universaljoint, operatively-connected devices on the crankshaft and on themovable section of the twopart shaft for conveying motion from theformer to the latter,- power transmitting mechanism operativelyconnected respec= tively with the fixed section of said shaft and withsaid wheel, and a handle independent of the crank-shaft and secured tothe steering-stem, and said handle being of double-U shape,substantially as described.

8. In a driving mechanism for cycles, the

combination with a bicycle-frame and a wheel to be driven, of asteering-stem movable in the frame, a shaft secured to said steeringstemand having cranks, a second shaft in two sections one of which has abearing fixed to the frame and the other of which has a bearing movablewith the steering-stem and in which said shaft-section is longitudinallymovable and which sections are connected by a universal, joint, meansfor supporting the respective sections of said shaft,operativelyconnected devices on the crank-shaft and on the movablesection of the two-part shaft for conveying motion from one to theother,'a crank-axle, driving mechanism between the crank-axle and saidwheel, and driving connections between said crank-axle and the fixedsection of the two-part shaft, substantially as described.

4. In a driving mechanism for cycles, the combination with abicycle-frame and a wheel to be driven, of a steering-stem movable intheframe provided with a handle, a shaft r0- tatably supported by saidsteering-stem and having cranks provided with grips, a second' of thetwo-part shaft, a sprocket-chain connecting said sprocket-wheels, abeveled gear fixed to the fixed section of said two-part shaft, alongitudinal shaft having beveled gears at its opposite ends one ofwhich meshes with the other beveled gear, a crank-axle having a beveledgear meshing with the adjacent beveled gear on said longitudinal shaft,bearings on the framing for supporting said longitudinal shaft,sprocket-wheels secured respectively to the crank-axle and to the axleof the Wheel to be driven, a chain connecting said lastmentionedsprocket-wheels, and cranks secured to the crank-axle and pro vided withpedals, substantially as described.

5. In a driving mechanism for cycles, the combination with a frame and aWheel to be driven, of a steering-stem, a shaft secured to saidsteering-stem and having cranks, a second shaft in two sectionsconnected by a universal joint, a bearing for one of said shaft sectionscarried by a fixed portion of the frame, a bearing for the secondshaft-section movable with the steering-stem, and in Which said movableshaft-section is adapted to slide as the steering-stem turns,operatively-connected devices on the crank-shaft and on the movablesection of the two-part shaft for conveying motion from the former tothe latter, and power-transmitting mechanism operatively connectedrespectively with the fixed section of said two-part shaft and with saidwheel, substantially as described.

6. In a driving mechanism for cycles, the combination with abicycle-frame and a wheel to be driven, of a steering-stem movable inthe frame, a shaft secured to said steeringstem and having cranks, asecond shaft in two sections operatively connected one of which has abearing fixed to the frame and the other of which has a bearing movablewith the steering-stem, operatively-connected devices on the crank-shaftand on the movable section of the two-part shaft for conveying motionfrom the former to the latter, and power-transmitting mechanismoperatively connected respectively with the fixed section of said shaftand with said wheel, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MARTIN E. BOLLINGER.

\Vitnesses:

W. J. ADAMS, JULIUS W. FISCHER.

